(Michigan City, IN) - The Michigan City Common Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution authored by Mayor Angie Nelson Deuitch supporting United Steelworkers Local Union 12775, District 7’s petition to strengthen NIPSCO staffing, reliability and storm response across Northern Indiana.
The petition, titled “Keep Utility Jobs Local: Strengthen NIPSCO Staffing, Reliability, and Storm Response for Northern Indiana,” calls for investment in a permanent local utility workforce, expanded training and apprenticeships, stronger emergency preparedness and greater transparency.
“The Aug. 11 derecho showed us how much our community depends on trained crews who can respond when disaster strikes,” Nelson Deuitch said.
The resolution cites the widespread outages caused by the August 11 storm across LaPorte, Lake and Porter counties, as well as the growing demands that aging infrastructure, economic growth and severe weather place on the region’s utility system.
Through the resolution, the Council calls on the governor, Indiana General Assembly, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor to:
• Assess current utility staffing needs in Northern Indiana;
• Develop workforce growth targets;
• Support expanded utility apprenticeship programs;
• Encourage local hiring and training initiatives and ensure communities receive the utility service and emergency preparedness they deserve.
The resolution also encourages the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to consider workforce adequacy and emergency response readiness in proceedings affecting NIPSCO customers.
It calls for public reporting on frontline staffing levels, vacancy rates, storm restoration performance, contractor use and workforce development investments.
While recognizing mutual aid crews as a valued resource during major emergencies, the resolution emphasizes the importance of a permanent local workforce that knows the region’s communities and infrastructure and is available year-round.
Certified copies of the resolution will be sent to Gov. Mike Braun, State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., State Rep. Randy Novak, legislative leaders, the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor and USW Local Union 12775, District 7.
